(Bloomberg) -- Comcast Corp.’s NBCUniversal said advertising revenue for the Paris Olympics and Paralympics surpassed the record US$1.25 billion sold for the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Strong ratings have translated into greater demand for the unsold inventory that NBC brought into the Games, which run through Aug. 11, a person with knowledge of the matter said. The network previously announced $1.2 billion in sales. It didn’t give a precise new total Tuesday.
The opening ceremony drew over 28.6 million viewers, the largest audience since London 2012, while prime-time viewership over the first four days averaged 33.8 million, up 77 per cent from Tokyo, underscoring the benefits of a more favourable time zone for the U.S.
“We feel really good about where the ratings are,” Mark Marshall, NBCUniversal’s chairman of global advertising and partnerships, said in an interview on the sidelines of the Games in Paris. “There’s just nothing else that scales to almost 200 million people in 17 days.”
Some brands, including Coca-Cola Co., decided not to advertise during NBC’s coverage of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but are back now, Marshall said. This year’s games include a record number of marketers, he said, noting the return of technology companies — the largest single category at about 15 per cent of revenue. Pharmaceutical and automotive companies are also advertising more.
Over 70 per cent of the sponsors are new, NBC said in a statement.
The Paris Olympics will be “quite profitable for us” NBCUniversal Media Group Chairman Mark Lazarus said on The Town podcast last week. Marshall declined to disclose specifics.
These Olympics are the first in which programmatic digital spots have been available to potential advertisers, Marshall said. That means, for example, a mom-and-pop pizza shop or a local zoo can bid $2,000 for a geographically targeted spot during prime time — a fraction of the $1 million a national ad may command.
“There’s a real opportunity to expand this into a platform that can super-serve every market in the US,” he said.
NBCUniversal has partnered with celebrities to broaden the appeal of big events including the Super Bowl, but hadn’t tied the Olympics to pop culture until Paris.
The initiative, driven by Comcast Chief Executive Officer Brian Roberts, means personalties like Elizabeth Banks, Leslie Mann, Chris Meloni, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen are in Paris thanks to the broadcaster.
The company tried to secure Taylor Swift as a celebrity partner but was unable to, in part due to her tour schedule, according to the person, who asked not to be identified discussing that effort.
“Some celebrities are participating musically,” said Jennifer Storms, NBCUniversal’s chief marketing officer for entertainment and sports.
Since Tokyo, NBCUniversal has shared shorter videos on social media after recognizing viewers want to digest “quick, snappy” clips versus five minutes of highlights. In Paris, the company has cut revenue-sharing deals with around 27 influencers to bolster interest in the Olympics.
“There’s been an enormity of engagement,” Storms said, adding that after the first four days in Paris, the network is surpassing the reach of its entire Tokyo 2020 content on certain platforms. She declined to provide specifics.
NBCUniversal, which is using artificial-intelligence software to re-create commentator Al Michaels’ voice for daily recaps, will continue to experiment as it aims to make viewers’ experiences as personalized as possible, Marshall said.
“Technology is allowing us to tell the story of the Games in completely different ways,” he said.
About 25 per cent of ad revenue was from ads for digital platforms, more than double Tokyo’s sales and a new record. Marshall expects that share to grow to 35 per cent to 40 per cent by the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
As NBCUniversal prepares for those games, management is already learning from Paris.
“Paris has done a great job of having the event spread throughout the city and in LA, it’s going to be similar, with beach volleyball along the water, use of current stadiums as well as Ventura County,” Marshall added.
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